20 years later: Doer revisits Zaragoza (with Dreamer this time)

Twenty years ago, a young Doer visited Zaragoza with his friend Daniel, who had lived there as a child. Last February, he returned to the city, the capital of the autonomous community of Aragon and Spain’s fifth-largest city, with his Dreamer.

Fuente de la Hispanidad.

Doer’s favorite thing from that first visit – a stylized fountain depicting the Americas – was still around and pumping out water.

Fountain at night.

Before we jump in, however, please allow us a minor detour. Before we set out for the Madrid train station, that age-old conflict: Doer wanted to eat, and Dreamer was worried about arriving on-time. Doer convinced her we had enough time to try a new middle eastern place before we got on the train.

The food was tasty, a herald of the good eating to come in Zaragoza. We spent a lot of time exploring El Tubo, the city’s tapas district.

Snacking in El Tubo barrio of Zaragoza. Small bites served on bread. Tapas and weekly FaceTime with Grandma.

If only we had had access to a kitchen on the trip – the central market was full of culinary treasures.

Zaragoza’s central market.

We were excited to see calçots, which reminded us of our recent adventure at the Catalan onion-eating festival.

Calçots.

When we weren’t eating, there was plenty to see. Zaragoza is home to a number of gorgeous historical monuments.

Aljafería in Zaragoza.

While the city is home to many churches, we were struck by the Aljafería, a fortified medieval Islamic palace.

That’s quite the moat!

Built in the 11th Century, the Aljafaría is perhaps lesser known than the Córdoba mosque and Granada’s Alhambra; however, it is just as significant as an example of historical architecture from Spain’s Muslim era.

Lots of columns and horseshoe arches.

It had a lovely garden, as was typical in these types of structures.

And so many ornate details, including beautiful tiles and elaborate painted ceilings.

Not all of our photos captured the stunning palace.

Sometimes the selfie stick likes to snap off a random photo while it’s being turned off.

As we said earlier, Zaragoza is home to many lovely churches – we definitely received our RDA of JC on this trip. Dreamer was enchanted by the lovely tiled roof of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar.

It is adjacent to the plaza with Doer’s beloved fountain.

Also a nice view from the river.

The Basilica of the Virgen of Pilar wasn’t too shabby from within, either, although we did have to be sneaky about taking photos.

Can’t do anything fun here.

Holy kissing booth.

During the Spanish Civil War, four bombs were dropped upon the basilica, but they did not explode. Some of them remain on view in the church.

Basilica bombs.

The other very large church, the Cathedral of the Savior (or La Seo), is an interesting mix of architectural styles, including Mudéjar, Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance. We can’t speak to other cultures, but to us, this mix seems very Spanish.

Mudéjar gorgeousness.

Dreamer was also keen on visiting the Iglesia of San Pablo to admire its Mudéjar style.

Little did we know the church would be packed inside and outside due to the feast of San Blas (Saint Blaise). Makes sense, as the church was built upon the site of a former hermitage of San Blas.

Street fair selling holy foods outside Iglesia San Pablo.

Another church, the Iglesia de Santa Isabel de Portugal, is known for its façade, an example of Churrigueresque style.

The Church of San Felipe had fun, twisty columns inside and out.

Holy Week is also pretty big here, as you can tell by this display from one of the cofraides.